TongTong
Sign in

滚蛋 (gǔn dàn) — (derogatory interjection) Get out! Beat it! Scram!

Definition

A harsh, very rude interjection meaning 'get lost / beat it' — far stronger than 走开 and used to angrily dismiss someone, not a polite command.

interjection
(derogatory interjection) Get out! Beat it! Scram!

Examples

  • 滚蛋！。
    gǔn dàn! Nǐ tài fán rén le.
    Get out! You're too annoying.
  • 滚蛋！。
    gǔn dàn! Bié ràng wǒ zài shuō dì èr cì.
    Get out! Don't make me say it again.
  • 滚蛋！！
    gǔn dàn! Lí wǒ yuǎn diǎn!
    Get lost! Stay away from me!

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

滚gǔnroll
蛋dànegg

滚 (roll) and 蛋 (egg) form a crude way to tell someone to go away.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 滾; 滚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
袞
袞gǔn滾gǔn
Same sound today

The traditional form 滾 pairs 水 (water) with 袞, which supplies the pronunciation. The simplified 滚 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 袞.

Open 滚 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
虫虫chóngsnake, insect
Sound part声符shēngfú
延
延yán蛋dàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 蛋, the lower part 虫 is a snake or insect, and the upper part is a shortened 延 giving the sound for 'egg'.

Open 蛋 →
Appears in
5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.